Sisters of the Sword

for 11 yr old sister

Kimi and Hana are the teenage daughters of a powerful lord in feudal Japan. Although their father (non-traditionally) encourages them to learn to read, write and defend themselves, they never dream to the extent they will put these skills to use. A treacherous betrayal sends the sisters fleeing into the forest, soon to join a training school disguised as servant-class boys. They need to remain alive long enough to find their mother and younger brother, and if they can take revenge on their enemies along the way....so much the better. Author Maya Snow created what seems to me to be an authentic and accurate setting in feudal Japan. Japanese terms are used liberally in the text and I enjoyed learning about samurai rituals and life in Japan hundreds of years ago. Kimi and Hana are strong and smart, and in this suspenseful story they are befriended by a number of richly-drawn secondary characters, particularly Master Goku. This book is the first in a series, and ends with the promise of more adventures to follow. The gore factor of this book is high -- too high, in my opinion for the suggested audience of 10 and up. The stabbings and beheadings are descriptively wrought, and include beloved family members and friends. I would suggest it for 12 and up, most particularly for those who like their sword fights bloody. If you enjoy this book, you might also try Chris Bradford's Young Samurai series. The hero is Jack, and the violence level is about the same.

I picked this book up on a whim, expecting a stereotypical girl in disguise story. Boy, was I in for a shock. Snow indeed knows how to grip a reader. The characters are well drawn out and react realistically to the time period, and to Kimi's eyes. The scenes descriptions are also well done, very short, detailed but flowing with Kimi's thoughts. The ending, however, left me snapping my jaws at thin air. hoping for more to come. A well written book worth reading... a few times more.

this book was surprisingly good. i wouldn't say that i was surprised by the material, because you can get a pretty good idea of what to expect from the plot by reading the summary, kind of a mulan/ alanna series (tamora peirce) story about a girl who rises out of the stereotypical female role and sort of blurs the boundary we so readily assign to gender association. and this story is a good one, but because it's so over done there is a huge potential for failure. this book however, did not fail. first off i have to say that i'm somewhat impressed. this is a story about two young girls dealing with the death of their father and brothers, and there is actually evidence of violence. it is a children's book so of course there is nothing too graphic, but it is no max and ruby! you fear for the characters and the suspense your fear creates because they could actually get hurt really increases the anticipation. the story makes you want to feel things basically :P but again, this is a novel for children. i picked it up in the 9 - 12 section of the book store and i'd say the subject matter is handled in a way appropriate for that age. more often than not, though danger is close at hand, the girls are spared what would be a scary scene (and what would have been added in the adult version of the novel with more gore and blood) leaving only a handful of actual encounters wherein they are confronted with an unpleasant confrontation. the main characters kimi and hana were great as well. the story wasn't so much about how they 'beat the system', how they showed everyone that girls can do whatever boys can. it was a better story, side stepping that superficial attempt at feminism. it was about inner strength and fighting your own demons with what you've got. and yes kimi wants to be a samurai like nothing else, but the focus of the story is on how she reacts with strength and courage when such a bad thing has happened to her and her family. she uses her desire to become a samurai to move forward, to avenge her family, but her reason of existence isn't to prove that she can. she knows she can. her purpose is acknowledge her ability, nurture it, and then use it to best accomplish what she desires. the book ended... like a beginning, so i assume this is the beginning of some sort of series. and this is a novel written for children, but that i'm 20 yr old university student and still enjoyed it says something, i think, about the author's talent for storytelling. it was a well written book with a good story and great characters. i look forward to a continuation.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this captivating book, which, instead of loosing itself in unnecessary details ("lard factor"), tells an exiting straightforward story with characters that I could easily identify myself with. I find myself reminded of stories by Tamora Pierce or Mercedes Lackey, where I young heroine has to go through many adventures and adversities to finally prevail against evil. Highly recommended. I am very much looking forward to the sequel!

Kimi and her sister, Hana, live a life of luxury as daughters of the Jito, a samurai lord and leader of a strong province in 13th-Century Japan. They do not lead idle lives, however; their father understands the importance of a broad education, and in addition to learning the womanly arts of embroidery and tea-pouring, they are trained in the ways of combat, leading Kimi, the narrator, to wish fervently that she could one day be a samurai, like her father and two older brothers. Unfortunately, disaster strikes in the form of Kimi and Hana's uncle, Hidehiro. Their father's younger brother, annoyed at their father's growing power, plots to kill their father and wipe out their branch of the family so that he can rule. Kimi, Hana, their mother, and younger brother manage to escape, but their older brothers and their father are brutally slaughtered by Hidehiro. Separated from their mother and brother, Kimi and Hana disguise themselves as boys and present themselves to a local dojo, where they are taken on as servants by the wise Sensei Goku, who promises to teach them further fighting skills if they comport themselves well. While at the dojo they meet with a boy of peasant background, Tatsuya, who is ridiculed for his low status since most of those training under Goku are nobles. Kimi and Hana's cousin, Ken-ichi, plays the role of small-scale antagonist; although he does not realize his cousins are actually alive and right under his nose, he makes their life difficult. Kimi and Hana must maintain their disguise while learning the skills of the samurai so they can face their uncle Hidehiro in combat and revenge their father's death once and for all. I enjoyed the characters, and got a good picture of the relationship between the sisters. The secondary characters, such as Tatsuya and Goku, were well-drawn. An obvious deal of research went into recreating Japanese life in this time period, but the author presents this detail without confusing the reader. The conclusion of the book was satisfying, but leaves room for a sequel that I, for one, would be excited to see. Reviewed by: Candace Cunard